[Dick Forrest]

Ok.. starting to look around.
Still very poor and will have to go without food, power and petrol for a few months to afford everything.

Found this collecting dust in my local store...
https://www.ple.com.au/ViewItem.aspx?InventoryItemID=616043&CategoryID=407

What do you guys think? I'm not up with all the magazines an what not atm. It's got lots of BUS speeds. 2x PCIe 3.0 slots..

Next will be CPU and RAM.

remember. I'm 100% Intel and Nvidia Fan boi. Don't even bother talking to me about Radeon or AMD I would rather use blackboard and chalk.

[Bird]

Looks ok, however...
I'd not buy an ex-demo piece, then hunt for the rest of the pieces.
Reason(s)
Basically when you buy parts from all over the place, if something goes wrong everyone will point to another piece, it can be hard to get warranty, or even just to get it properly tested can be a nightmare (unless you've similar components lying around).  If it's all from one spot, it's far easier. 
Plus these things can get a bit broken if not handled carefully.  A forceful installation can break an inner line and misc errors can happen that are extremely hard to trace.

All in all if you're strapped for cash, buy lower spec items.  Getting the fastest is really a matter of extra money.

But also consider this;  the speed differences between parts can be very misleading.

Example: you have a ram that's 10% faster.   
Great, let's go for it, my computer will be 10% faster, right?  Wrong.  Your computer will be probably 1-2% faster, because ram operations, while significant, only a part of the picture.   Worst case it'll not be faster at all, because it's bottlenecked somewhere else.

So getting good quality matching parts is probably the most important thing here, not getting the highest-specced ones.  (having said that, if you got the dough, go for the bling, because in the higher-end components, they usually use higher-end parts, too!)

Sorry for the long post



Edit: also, I don't know PLE computers, but I really recommend going with a shop with a known good customer service.  (I.e. avoid MSY and the like) - again, this can bite later in case something goes awry.  Plus MSY is known for dodgey parts...

PCcasegear & mwave are well tested by me, I can recommend these.  pccg is usually the cheaper.

[Dick Forrest]

Looks ok, however...
I'd not buy an ex-demo piece, then hunt for the rest of the pieces.
Reason(s)
Basically when you buy parts from all over the place, if something goes wrong everyone will point to another piece, it can be hard to get warranty, or even just to get it properly tested can be a nightmare (unless you've similar components lying around).  If it's all from one spot, it's far easier. 
Plus these things can get a bit broken if not handled carefully.  A forceful installation can break an inner line and misc errors can happen that are extremely hard to trace.

All in all if you're strapped for cash, buy lower spec items.  Getting the fastest is really a matter of extra money.

But also consider this;  the speed differences between parts can be very misleading.

Example: you have a ram that's 10% faster.   
Great, let's go for it, my computer will be 10% faster, right?  Wrong.  Your computer will be probably 1-2% faster, because ram operations, while significant, only a part of the picture.   Worst case it'll not be faster at all, because it's bottlenecked somewhere else.

So getting good quality matching parts is probably the most important thing here, not getting the highest-specced ones.  (having said that, if you got the dough, go for the bling, because in the higher-end components, they usually use higher-end parts, too!)

Sorry for the long post



Edit: also, I don't know PLE computers, but I fully recommend going with a shop with a known good customer service.  (I.e. avoid MSY and the like)

PCcasegear & mwave are well tested by me, I can recommend these.  pccg is usually the cheaper.

Thanks Bird.
yes the warranty drama. I haven't had any bad stories so far. (except PSU's which I always buy locally as they weigh so much) Even though my PC is about 100 years old. I have built quite a few over the years. I'm pretty stupid at softwear and config but I have a IT guru friend for that.
 I always seem to get parts from all over the place. I just avoid Ebay.

with this MB. I've seen it in person and it's in a nice perspex desplay case. Very little dust in the whole shop really. I'm a repeat customer and trust them to look after me if it's a dud.
I like that it can hold very fast RAM even if I can't afford very fast RAM 1st thing..

I'm prob more worried about what CPU.. i7 are still very expensive for the 4ghz ones.
I'm not even sure if they are genuine 4 cores? I think the i5s are faux cores or something? Should I care?

[Dick Forrest]

MSY are dodgy as all hell. But they do have some good cheap stuff.
I have only good things to say about PLE. Austin computers are also quite well stocked with stuff but tend to be $10 dearer and hate to haggle. I'll even haggle Coles checkout chicks!!

Bird... are you a West Aussie?

[Wally]

Really? I've bought nearly everything from MSY over the years and never had a problem. It's just a box of a shelf... I always buy reputable brands, not the cheapest no name thing I can find.

CPU wise, my i5 handles 24 AI in AC. You probably don't need to splash out on an i7.

[Dick Forrest]

Really? I've bought nearly everything from MSY over the years and never had a problem. It's just a box of a shelf... I always buy reputable brands, not the cheapest no name thing I can find.

CPU wise, my i5 handles 24 AI in AC. You probably don't need to splash out on an i7.

Thanks Wally. MSY over here lack customer service to the point of No speak engwish! And dodgy looking plain packaging with 'Microsoft' or 'ASUS' etc hand written on the boxes.

Yeah i5 could be the go. What RAM do you guys use? You are triple screen Wally? One graphics card?

i've got a GTX660Ti.  It's just hanging in there on the charts I think..

[Wally]

I have 8gb ram, and triples with a single 780. In MP, I get around 60-90ish fps, with world detail on max. It's plenty playable for me, but I can't max out settings like smoke, reflections etc.

[Bacchulum]

CPU: Intel i7 930@2.80GHz
GPU: GeForceGTX670 x 2
Mem: 6GB
Res: 5850x1080, 60Hz (3x24" LG Monitors)
Op. Sys.: Win7Pro 64bit

See all that stuff there?
DON'T get that, that's what I have.
40-50fps on race night, just about all settings low.
It can't do more than around 13 AI either.

[marty]

Id go with PCCG but also scorptech computers are pretty good though neither have WA shops I think and both are within 5 min of my house lol. PCCG used to be a bit further but now moved closer I assume just because they want me to buy from them.  I can walk to scorptech and price wise they are both very close but PCCG has no real shopfront and you cant just go in to buy need to order first so its more of a hassle. If I want something I just check who has it in stock then go get it, no need to paybfor shippimg when they are so close to me.

[Wally]

CPU: Intel i7 930@2.80GHz
GPU: GeForceGTX670 x 2
Mem: 6GB
Res: 5850x1080, 60Hz (3x24" LG Monitors)
Op. Sys.: Win7Pro 64bit

See all that stuff there?
DON'T get that, that's what I have.
40-50fps on race night, just about all settings low.
It can't do more than around 13 AI either.

That Ai limit surprises me, with an i7. But a 930 is on the older /slower  end of the spectrum, isn't it?

[Dick Forrest]

CPU: Intel i7 930@2.80GHz
GPU: GeForceGTX670 x 2
Mem: 6GB
Res: 5850x1080, 60Hz (3x24" LG Monitors)
Op. Sys.: Win7Pro 64bit

See all that stuff there?
DON'T get that, that's what I have.
40-50fps on race night, just about all settings low.
It can't do more than around 13 AI either.

Ouch! Mr Bacchulum! I hope it's a AC thing not being optimised. Can you play other titles with all the pretty stuff turned up?

Id go with PCCG but also scorptech computers are pretty good though neither have WA shops I think and both are within 5 min of my house lol. PCCG used to be a bit further but now moved closer I assume just because they want me to buy from them.  I can walk to scorptech and price wise they are both very close but PCCG has no real shopfront and you cant just go in to buy need to order first so its more of a hassle. If I want something I just check who has it in stock then go get it, no need to paybfor shippimg when they are so close to me.

Would you rate this MB Marty?
https://www.ple.com.au/ViewItem.aspx?InventoryItemID=616043&CategoryID=407

I'm not scared in ordering stuff from the east. Postage does add up if I buy from here and there though.
But the way i am with cash atm. It will be a bit of a slow build anyway.

[Bacchulum]

Ouch! Mr Bacchulum! I hope it's a AC thing not being optimised. Can you play other titles with all the pretty stuff turned up?

Don't know, I don't play anything else.

[Bird]

You don't need fast ram (see my earlier example) and you don't need an i7.   It's not that much faster compared to an i5, and the hyperThreading is all you miss, really, apart from the ability to use triple-channel rams.  All this adds up to a little extra, but not that much, especially not in gaming.  For gaming you need higher cpu speed (GHz) not more threads, in most cases.  But the most-most important thing is the gfx in most modern games.  Eye candy is rampant

So put most of your money into that department.

As for triple screens, they aren't just 'triple screens' - you need the actual resolution to make a call. Again, example:
1920*1200*3 = 6,912,000
1920*1080*3 = 6,220,800
And this is on 3 24" screens in both cases, one 16:10 aspect ratio the other  "full HD" 16:9.   Imagine if you're on really higher/lower res screens...


Here's my computer I'm on the near 7mpx variant of triple screens, btw.
I haven't seen any cpu warnings - but I haven't tried nordy with a full AI grid, yet, though...hehe
Ok to be honest I haven't raced AI much at all, especially not lately.

The gfx is a bit long in the tooth, though, I need to turn down some details quite a bit.


ASUS p8z77-V Deluxe
Intel i5-3570k
Corsair Vengeance 2x8GB

2x GXT670 (Gigabyte)

SilverStone Fortress FT02B-W
Antec 850W Signature

3x24" Dell eyefinity setup (1920*1200)


Edit:

If I was strapped for cash and upgrading for a single-screen setup, I'd certainly go with a 290 (Ati).
It's far better bang for buck, and single screen + single card setups seldom have issues.
Multi-card, multi-screen...well I've tried that with Ati and I do not recommend it

[cramjet]

PLE is great - I've always bought my parts from them. I actually doubt they would give you grief blaming other parts - they can test any piece quite quickly to identify a fault. I had a faulty RAM stick from them (1 of 4), took it in and they replaced it without even testing it.

I just recently upgraded my CPU and Motherboard - not sure on exact specs but its one of the better i5's. They were the last pieces to be upgraded and made a huge difference in AC (GPU, SSD and RAM done last xmas). If you haven't got a SSD they are great for putting windows/steam on to help with loading times. Leave media/photos and junk on an older HDD.

PLE's just opened a store in Melbourne so maybe y'all will hear about it soon.

[Dick Forrest]

PLE is great - I've always bought my parts from them. I actually doubt they would give you grief blaming other parts - they can test any piece quite quickly to identify a fault. I had a faulty RAM stick from them (1 of 4), took it in and they replaced it without even testing it.

I just recently upgraded my CPU and Motherboard - not sure on exact specs but its one of the better i5's. They were the last pieces to be upgraded and made a huge difference in AC (GPU, SSD and RAM done last xmas). If you haven't got a SSD they are great for putting windows/steam on to help with loading times. Leave media/photos and junk on an older HDD.

PLE's just opened a store in Melbourne so maybe y'all will hear about it soon.

Hey Cramers! i'm sure WA computer stores are WAY better than over east!!
Yep I've got  2x small SSDs. 3 x 500gig HD's and 6-7 portable HD's all kinds of sizes.
why? Photography! and music and also gopro stuff now as well.
Which is why I want lots of fast RAM eventually. All the photo editing and crap I do takes ages sometimes waiting for the computer to work out if it wants to render or crash!
I would like triple screens but I don't really have the room for them just atm.